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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419086">What Happens in Derdriu</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGOM/pseuds/IGOM'>IGOM</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Derdriu Confessions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alcohol, Baby's first attempt at smut, Cunnilingus, F/M, I can't write anything without some plot, Jeralt is implied to be an alcoholic, Light Angst, i really tried though, regular old vanilla sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-09 01:15:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,879</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27419086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGOM/pseuds/IGOM</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>During their trip to Derdriu to convince the other Alliance lords to rally to their cause against the Empire, Byleth and Claude share a drink, some confessions, and a bit more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Derdriu Confessions [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022437</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>89</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>What Happens in Derdriu</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Derdriu was quite pretty in sunset's glow, the white washed buildings painted in the pinks and oranges of the waning light. Byleth had been here a time or two with Father and the other mercenaries, but a dingy alehouse with closet-sized rooms for rent could hardly boast a better view than a private apartment in the Riegan palace.</p>
<p>She'd been alone for most of the day; they'd arrived, met that man Nardel, and following that Claude had been whisked away to attend to some personal matters that seemed to be about the management of the duchy. He'd assumed that she had little interest in the governance of his personal wealth, and rightly so. An attendant showed her to the rooms they had prepared for her and for the first time in a long time, Byleth had an idle afternoon. It was such a rare occurrence in her life that she hadn't done much more than explore the apartment, eat the meals brought to her and watch the city bustle below the windows. But still, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction at having done nothing at all.</p>
<p>The door opened; she didn't need to turn around to know who it was, as she knew him by the distinctive footfalls. "Sorry about being gone for so long. I forget how zealous Marcel can be." She heard a little grunt of pleasure, and the thud of one boot, then the other with the same soft noise. "But I've brought an apology."</p>
<p>She only bothered to glance at Claude when he came to stand beside her. He had changed out of the formal dress of the Duke Riegan and now wore a loose shirt open at the collar with soft pants. His mouth curved into a smile, more genuine than the one he kept plastered to his face during their strategy meetings, but his eyes were still a bit cool. He held up a bottle of clear liquid and shook it, and set the two glasses in his other hand on the windowsill. "Is that arrak?"</p>
<p>He nodded with a laugh. "I would have brought a bottle of wine, but I needed something a bit stronger after today." She smiled as he poured two generous measures from the bottle. "I'm surprised you know what arrak is, much less be able to recognize it from a glance."</p>
<p>"Father liked to drink it straight." She was hardly that desperate for forgetfulness, and watched as Claude returned with a pitcher of water. The liquor turned milky as he poured, and he handed her one of the glasses. They drank in a companionable silence for awhile, the taste of anise strong and the burn of alcohol pleasant. The sun dipped low, transforming the colors of the city to a deeper blush of pink than before. Soon it would disappear completely and the moon would rise to cast its ethereal glow over these same streets.</p>
<p>"These used to be my rooms before Grandfather passed," he said suddenly. "I spent a lot of time looking out these same windows when I first came here, watching the city like we are now."</p>
<p>"What makes you think about that now?" Impossible to know his mind sometimes, despite all the long hours they spent in each other's company; but he was less opaque than when they first met.</p>
<p>He smiled, running a finger around the rim of his glass. "My parents traveled my whole childhood, so until I ran away and came to live with Grandfather, I never had my own bedroom." He sipped. "It made for a lonely childhood."</p>
<p>She considered that for a moment before she replied. "I'm sure becoming the heir to house Riegan didn't exactly change that."</p>
<p>His teeth gleamed even in the dim light as he laughed. "Oh, I had plenty of people wanting to be friendly," he said with an emphasis on the last part, "But no one I would consider friends, not back then, and still not now."</p>
<p>"What about Hilda?"</p>
<p>At this, he shrugged, looking out over the city as his smile turned a bit bitter, a bit mocking. "We're great allies, of course, but we use each other for our own gain. It would be impossible to be anything but that being who we are. I get the ear of Holst Goneril, and she gets to pretend that she's so <em>close</em> to securing the most advantageous marriage in the Alliance, which keeps her brother from promising her to someone like Lorenz or Acheron." He snorted and drained his glass. "As if either of them could handle Hilda as a wife."</p>
<p>Her fingers rapped the glass as she considered his words. "Not a lot of kids in a mercenary camp."</p>
<p>"I can only imagine." He glanced at her. "It might be the arrak, but I have a confession." She nodded to allow him to continue. "I think you might be the first person whose respect I've sought. I wanted my grandfather's approval far enough that he would make me his heir, but his respect? I never thought I would get that from him."</p>
<p>She finished her own glass with a sharp swallow; it burned down her throat. "Why?"</p>
<p>"Honestly? Because you're the first person who hasn't wanted a damn thing from me just because of my vaunted pedigree. Your expectations of me when I was a student were the same for all your students." He poured measures for the both of them again.</p>
<p>Byleth chuckled before she could stop herself. "You're wrong; I expected more from you than anyone else."</p>
<p>A laugh. "Is that why I always got such horrible grades on my essays?"</p>
<p>"That, and you tend to ramble." He laughed with her, and she nudged him with her elbow. "You have it, you know."</p>
<p>"I'm glad." They drank in silence again; the city was dark now the sun had set, and she could just make out the rippling waves of the ocean, glittering in the moonlight. </p>
<p>He shifted, and he brushed against her side; she made no effort to move away, and they continued to stand there, so close she could feel the sway of the fabric of his shirt as he breathed. Her own throat felt a bit tight with each inhale, and she drank to force it to relax. Instead of watching the city tuck into the night, all her thoughts were focused on the man beside her; the smell of soap and cologne over a faint musky smell she knew to be his own personal scent, the bob of his throat as he swallowed, the strong curve of his jaw and neck. Most importantly, the soft way he spoke when he said, "But you know, for a long time now, I've wanted something more than your respect."</p>
<p>They turned to face each other at last; his eyes were oddly clouded, but Byleth doubted it was from the drink. "Oh?"</p>
<p>He licked his lips, the flash to pink surprising compared to the golden tones of his skin. Glass to his mouth, he finished his arrak. "I'm definitely drunk to be saying things like this, even if they are true." There was that bitter, mocking smile again. "It would be too risky until this war is over. The scandal if the others knew."</p>
<p>Byleth tilted her head, considering the weight of his words. "No one's here now. Unless you think your servants will gossip."</p>
<p>He sucked on his teeth and for the first time in her memories of him, she saw a blush on his cheeks too deep to be explained by alcohol. "Only if you feel the same way, my friend. This isn't some passing fancy or whatever those silly knight's tales like to wax poetic about."</p>
<p>Actions were always preferable to words, on that they could agree. So she kissed him, a fistful of his shirt in each hand. Claude groaned against her, and she took that advantage to push her tongue past his teeth. His arms slid around her waist, hers around his neck, fingers tangled into his hair as he squeezed her ass. He was rapidly stiffening, and she whimpered at the press of his cock on her thigh. A chuckle, and he shifted to whisper kisses down her neck and shoulder. He drew in a shuddering breath as he lingered over the ball of her shoulder. "Just for tonight, I don't want to be Claude von Riegan."</p>
<p>Their eyes met as he pulled away slightly, and Byleth took his hand to pull him into the bedroom. Once the door was shut, she felt his arms slip around her waist, mouth hot on her neck; she moaned as he teeth found skin. "What do you want me to call you, then?" She teased as they fumbled their way to the bed. Her ass hit the bed, and she scooted back without taking her eyes off him as he stripped his shirt. She knew, rationally, that the long years of war had granted him impressive strength, but it was another thing to see all that hard packed muscle for herself.</p>
<p>He was on her in a flash, trailing kisses down her shirt, too impatient to remove it. "Whatever you please." His mouth found her nipple, and he sucked through the thin fabric. A shiver of delight made her spine arch at the touch and she whined as a hand cupped her other breast. He made a soft noise of pleasure as she tangled fingers in his curls once again. "I am tempted to spill more of my secrets to you tonight. But," he paused to pull at the hem of her shirt, and she pulled it over her head, "I have more pressing matters to attend to." His mouth found her nipple again; she shivered as his teeth grazed.</p>
<p>Byleth tangled her fingers in his hair as he moved over her skin trailing sloppy wet kisses across her skin. He pulled at the waistband of her pants, tugging as she lifted her hips to free them. Naked, she was suddenly and keenly aware of the ache between her thighs. The sloppy kisses continued, his rough beard a teasing counterpoint to his tender lips and tongue across the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs until she let out another whine. She felt his smile as he pressed his face a little more firmly against her thigh, and then he pushed her legs a bit further apart to put his mouth on her swollen clit.</p>
<p>She arched, the feel of his tongue swiping over that sensitive bit of flesh almost too much, but he hooked her thighs with his arms to hold her fast. He continued his lazy exploration, eyes fluttering open and closed as his mouth worked over her. A knot was twisting inside, somewhere close to where he kissed, building up to an almost unbearable tension. "I need-" She couldn't finish the thought before he had untangled one of his arms from her and began to tease a finger inside, rapidly followed by a second. She could feel the roughness of his fingers, the smooth press of his fingernails as he curled them, moving slowly in and out until she cried out. He held his fingers deep inside, tongue twisted around her clit. A sharp suck, and the tension began to bubble, shattering at the second suck from his mouth. Her back arched, a low moan tearing at her throat as he kept at it until she sagged back onto the bed with a sigh.</p>
<p>That was the most genuine smile she had ever spied on his face. Face gleaming with come, he pressed a cheek against her thigh, a satisfied sort of grin gracing his puffy lips. "Let me know when you've recovered," he murmured with a gentle kiss.</p>
<p>"Come here." He grinned and climbed up, kissing all the way up until he found her mouth; he tasted of anise and come, the heady smell of her own sex making her feel the swell of desire between her thighs with force. </p>
<p>Their fingers fumbled with the laces on his soft pants before he was free to shake them off with a laugh. Goddess he was handsome, hair increasingly wild as she tangled fingers into it, lips still swollen, eyes wide with his own yet unsatisfied desire. His cock bounced, hard and leaking. One hand snaked down, and he stroked himself with a groan. Then he settled himself between her thighs. "Don't worry, I know all sorts to tricks to keep this from this becoming a situation," he murmured into her throat as the tip of his cock pressed against her entrance and, with some guidance, slipped inside. "Oh, Byleth."</p>
<p>Slow, achingly slow; she moaned, head thrown to the side as he pushed in deeper. She caressed his chest, watching the play of emotions across his face as she touched, laughing when he groaned at her fingers pinching a nipple. His hips picked up pace; Byleth moans grew louder. Claude's mouth found hers, his thrusts increasingly sloppier; she could tell he was close by the higher pitch of the groans escaping his lips. Then, a pause, and she cried out as his calloused fingers pressed against her clit, teasing her until she was near breaking. A grin was on his lips as he began to push into her again, fingers still massaging her clit. He groaned when she did, and she felt him spill into her. Claude trembled as he held himself over her, waiting for her quivering to subside before he pulled away.</p>
<p>"Wait," she said as he made to slip off the bed and reached for his wrist. "Where are you going?"</p>
<p>He smiled. "Just to wash up." His fingers traced a line down her nose, and she scrunched her face as he pressed on the tip. Claude chuckled. "I'll be right back."</p>
<p>Byleth had begun to nod off by the time he slipped back into the bed beside her. "Hey, you can't sleep quite yet." He had a glass of water in his hand, slightly cloudy. "This won't taste very good." She shrugged and gulped it down; even bitter, she found herself too thirsty to care. That finished and the glass set aside, she allowed him to pull her close, his body curled around hers. "This might not have been the smartest thing we've done, but I'm not sorry, either."</p>
<p>He was so warm, she felt herself drifting once again. "Promise me that we'll have a much longer talk once the war is over."</p>
<p>His voice was almost painfully honest as he whispered in her ear, "A promise easily kept. Rather, it'll more difficult to keep all my secrets until then." A kiss on the nape of her neck and his fingers tangling with hers until their hands knotted against her stomach, they both stopped resisting the lulling pull of sleep.</p>
<p>It was bright; too bright, and Byleth woke with a gasp. The night seemed only moments ago. Claude was still there in bed beside her, arms tight around her waist. "Good morning," he said with a kiss in her hair. "Never thought I'd see the day you slept in."</p>
<p>"You shouldn't be here." She tried to untangle his arms, but he only chuckled and pulled her closer. Goddess, he had to feel so good against her, it was unfair. "Claude, you can't be seen walking out of my rooms."</p>
<p>"The conference isn't until this afternoon, and there's a hidden passage from these rooms to the ducal apartments." He kissed her hair again, and then her neck. "Just let me enjoy a little more time here with you. I swear I haven't completely lost my reason."</p>
<p>She turned in his arms so she could look at him; his smile was the sun, as warm and inviting as the rest of him. "You play a dangerous game."</p>
<p>"More risk, more reward." He kissed her, slow and soft and full of promise. "We have enough time, you know, if we skip breakfast." He made a noise; it was half a laugh, half a sigh. "When I walk out of here, I have to go back to being Claude von Riegan, and I'm not in any hurry to put that particular suit of armor back on."</p>
<p>He chipped away at her resolve with each touch, every kiss and whisper of his voice against her skin. It would be their last opportunity until after the war, whenever that would be. Byleth caressed his throat, letting her fingers trail down. Their eyes met, and she kissed him as she pulled him on top of her.</p><hr/>
<p>Duke Claude von Riegan came to collect her after the midday meal impeccably dressed in his gold and black silks again, fresh from a bath. She wondered if he allowed attendants to bathe him; the thought bothered her, but she kept her features neutral as he offered his arm. "Your most divine divinity, allow me to be your escort." She raised an eyebrow, and he cracked a grin. "Don't leave me hanging here, Teach. It would break my heart." Truth wrapped in a lie; at least he was talented in tying words up into very pretty knots. She took his arm, resolved to make herself content with these chaste displays of affection for now.</p>
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